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Small Jewish high school wins approval to expand in Brighton Center

Proposed new school building

The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans by Mesivta High School of Greater Boston to replace its current one-story building at 114 Leicester St. in Brighton Center with a two-story school.

The extra space will let the school increase the number of Torah-learning boys from 53 to 70, with an extra classroom as well as new meeting and office space. The number of teachers will remain at 5.

The new building will have five parking spaces. School attorney John Pulgini said students are not allowed to drive and teachers will either carpool or take public transportation.

The board unanimously approved the proposal.

Some residents opposed the proposal, partly because it would be out of character with the largely residential street with 70 students but especially over the issue of rats.

Benny Upton, of Goodenough Street, said the neighborhood has seen a tsunami of the vermin of late, which he blamed on the "12 commercial structures sprinkled right around our neighborhood.

"It's been pretty bad," he said.

Upton did not say whether he felt the school specifically was attracting rats, but he was not allowed to expound on his position by board Chairwoman Christine Araujo, who, overseeing an agenda that started at 9:30 a.m. and stretched well into the afternoon, cut him off. When his wife tried to express her opinion, Araujo cut her off as well.

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Comments

this is behind st columbkille's school and church and a few houses away from a path that goes down into faneuil park/mckinley field.

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But close enough? Or is what little Brighton street cred I once had faded away?

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brighton center is pretty much from st elizabeth's, down washington st. all the way to oak square. this is about a 5 blocks north of washington street. no big deal just never considered this as part of brighton center.

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Some residents opposed the proposal, partly because it would be out of character with the largely residential street with 70 students but especially over the issue of rats.

Largely residential.......along with the large Saint Cols school right there on the same street. Not sure what "12 commercial structures" he's referring to that are new, the rat issue has been pretty bad since 2020 as restaurant dumpsters became less bountiful compared with residential areas but I have a hard time seeing it as valid opposition to a small school being built.

And for the record we're about 3-4 blocks from here, so I'm full on YIMBY for this project. Build it.

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...but none of it terribly recent, I think? And not real close to there.

(I blame the IV)

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There was the development that recently completed about a block from here, used to be Brighton Beer Garden.

Then further up over the Pike there are several projects going up but I don't know where the "12 commercial structures" comes from other than the Bruins/Celtics area?

EDIT: And there is another project going up in Brighton Center next to one of the banks/Jim's deli area.

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What replaced it?

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I might be wrong but I swear a roommate years ago spoke about it.

Anyway, now its just a 4 story residential structure.

Also, my god look at this!
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3502638,-71.1527575,3a,75y,148.57h,86.99t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syLf242Jb8vfAwjikXRBA9Q!2e0!5s20070901T000000!7i3328!8i1664

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Well that's...gaudy.

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which i remember as McMahon's and the 19th Hole (and later rosie o'grady's) is 375 market street complex which is a new building.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3505108,-71.1526489,3a,75y,290.61h,102.62t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sMXwgEIQ2Hk6p8m5sX1PDAw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DMXwgEIQ2Hk6p8m5sX1PDAw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D84.73989%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

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